Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

The first ingredients that come to mind when I think about fall baking are apples and pumpkins. Fall is my favorite time of year for so many reasons. I love the beautiful colors the leaves change to in New England. I happily welcome the chill in the air. I would much rather bundle up than be sweating to death from the high heat and humidity of summer. Fall means fires, hot chocolate, jumping in piles of leaves and trips to the apple farm. I am always eager for this time of year and look forward to the first pies and other wonderful goodies that can be made. It’s a special time of year for sure.

For easily the last month, people have been talking about the great pumpkin shortage. Yes, in some circles it’s really that serious to phrase it in such a way. No Libby’s canned pumkin?! The horror! After weeks of impatiently waiting, the time had finally come… There were sightings of Libby’s around the country. Still it wasn’t in my own local store. I would not succumb to buying ridiculously overpriced cans on eBay. I would just live without baking anything that called for pumpkin.

Thankfully my very sweet mother came to the rescue when she found some in the store she shops at. Four very special cans for my baking pleasure. Within a week of that, my own store finally had a small stock. Would you be shocked if I told you that from the first sighting to just the other day, they’re already out of all Libby’s canned pumpkin… except for the pumpin pie mix but that doesn’t count. I swear I did not buy the last they had but I will not apologize if I am part of a localized shortage. I’m sure there are others out there who grabbed a few more just to have. You never know when you want to make something with pumpkin and can’t begin to predict if there will be a shortage next year.

Now that I had the highly sought after ingredient, I planned for my first pumpkin item of the season to be my yearly traditional pumpkin cheesecake. I still have not made that but hope to in the coming days. I pondered over the possibilities and finally decided to whip up some muffins. The idea of adding chocolate chips was shot down immediately. I didn’t want to argue so I had to come up with another idea. Finally I mixed a few ideas together to make one amazing recipe. And amazing they absolutely were. Our oldest dubbed them ‘the best muffins ever!’ Okay she’s only three but that still made me smile.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a muffin pan with liners or baking spray. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs. Carefully add yogurt, pumpkin and molasses to the bowl. A trick for the molasses, spray your spoon with baking spray prior to scooping and pooring. It will help keep the molasses from sticking and should slide right out and into the mixing bowl. Mix well, scrape the sides of your bowl.

Begin gradually adding in all of your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and all of the spices. Mix just until combined. Using a large cookie scoop, divide batter between muffin cups. I stuck to just one large scoop per regular muffin cup and divided the remaining bits of batter between mini muffin cups. If you don't have cookie or batter scoops, next chance you get - buy some, but until then know that you want your liners to be filled roughly two thirds full.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add butter - not straight from the fridge and not room temp. You want the butter to be workable without being mushy. Work the ingredients together with a pastry cutter, forks or knives until you have a crumbly mixture. Spoon topping over each muffin batter.

Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes. Begin checking around 15-17 minutes for doneness. Mini muffins should be done around the 14 or 15 minute mark but you can begin checking a few minutes prior to then. They are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with only a few crumbs clinging on.

Store in an airtight container for up to several days or wrap tightly and freeze for up to several months.